


Mirror Images

by DancesWithSeatbelts, Snowells1234



Category: The Flash (TV 2014), The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, F/M, Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:55:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21997858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DancesWithSeatbelts/pseuds/DancesWithSeatbelts, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowells1234/pseuds/Snowells1234
Summary: Caitlin opens a message from Harrison Wells that changes her life forever.
Relationships: Caitlin Snow/Eobard Thawne | Harrison Wells
Comments: 18
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

The confident pace Caitlin set as she strode into the speed lab faltered; the aching hole in her chest was growing and she didn’t think that the pain could get any worse but it continued to throb with each step - and with the next movement she made, her knees gave out, making contact with the cold cement floor. Sobbing, raising her hands to hide her face, Caitlin couldn’t believe that the universe would be so cruel. Ronnie had been taken from her twice and now the man she’d trusted -- the man she… No, she couldn’t afford to think of the what ifs. That man was an evil speedster from the future. Her life was a complete wreck and Caitlin didn’t think she could handle any further shocks.

How was it she’d never picked up on Dr. Wells faking his paralysis? Caitlin prided herself on her acumen, her knowledge in various medical fields and the actual experience her years of working for Dr. Wells before and after his accident. Had loyalty blinded her? A little bit of praise from a celebrated physicist and Caitlin would ignore her friends and coworkers when they said something was going on? Cisco was a brilliant engineer -- and she’d doubted Barry’s warning words as coming from a place of jealousy.

There was too much tension and her brain ached; taking a deep breath she rubbed her face, smearing her makeup. Time to not think about this anymore. Resolute, Caitlin stood and made her way to the Cortex to find the others. Alarms blared throughout STAR Labs - but the noise didn’t make Caitlin rush to the Cortex. Instead she froze in place as her heart raced with adrenaline. Worry twisted her stomach and bile rose, breaking her imitation of a statue. Caitlin raced to the nearest bathroom, crashing the stall open and ejecting her breakfast into the toilet. Hands clammy, sweat beading on her forehead, Caitlin knew it was fear but it did little to settle her nerves.

After a brief moment to wipe her mouth with the available toilet paper, Caitlin rose on shaky legs and faced the mirror. Pale face and raccoon eyes had her bemused. Yanking harder than she needed to, if only to assure herself that she was in control, Caitlin tore paper towel from a dispenser and wet it at the sink. Blotting and then wiping at the black smudges, Caitlin examined her face. Never, ever in her life had she thought her life would be like this. 

The alarm went quiet. One last attempt at fixing her makeup and Caitlin stepped out of the bathroom and headed towards the Cortex. Something wasn’t right - STAR Labs wasn’t usually this silent. Caitlin turned the corner and found the Cortex empty. How could an alarm be tripped without Cisco coming to fix the situation or Barry and his superspeed showing up?

Huh. With a sigh and shake of her head, Caitlin turned to leave but a beep from the computer caught her attention. Furrowing her brows she sat at the station and a few deft movements of her fingers brought the computer screen to life. Sporting a busted lip and bruised eye, an image of Caitlin’s former boss lit the monitor. She’d never seen him such a condition before - ever. Clicking the image, a video played, his breathing heavy. “My name is Harrison Wells, I’m reaching out to anyone who can help -” the playback showed the recording flicker but quickly recover. His eyes were wide and darting to all corners of the room, he checked over his shoulder. Facing the camera again, Dr. Wells continued, his voice going raspy before strengthening: “Central City needs help, the…” The screen flickered again, static dancing in sporadic bursts as the video stalled.

Glaring at the monitor as if that would help, Caitlin held her fingers poised over the keyboard and the video resumed before she had the chance to do anything further. “I don’t know what else to do, this video has been encrypted with a portal permission to access this world. Please, we need help.” Caitlin gasped despite herself. Harrison looked almost...beaten, like he was fighting against a giant strain and was losing the upper hand - not at all his usual demeanor. 

The video went black again and stayed dead. Without anything else to do, Caitlin grabbed her phone and as she did a blue glowing vortex formed -- right in her immediate space. She dropped her phone and grabbed onto her chair’s arms and braced her feet on the floor doing her best to resist the pull of the portal; relentless it took hold of Caitlin’s body. The Cortex was empty, no sign of life, save for the motion of the fallen chair’s spinning wheels.

><><><><

Opening her eyes, Caitlin saw three gray walls and one clear wall. She was in the pipeline but for the life of her couldn’t remember how she’d gotten there. In the corner of the cell was the security feed. Caitlin hoped to god that Cisco was available to let her out. “Cisco, are you there?” Agonizing long minutes passed and as she was about to give up hope, the chamber door opened. Caitlin stepped back, hitting the padded wall behind her. Wearing the familiar yellow suit that made her mouth go dry, Dr. Wells was standing there, a glare on his handsome face. 

“How did you sneak inside STAR Labs, Ms. Snow?”

His voice had the authoritative edge that meant business - she’d heard that tone before but never directed at her. Shaking her head, unsure how to answer this nonsensical question, Caitlin kept silent. How on earth was this possible? She’d seen this man get erased from existence when poor Eddie had sacrificed his life. Caitlin blew air from her mouth to steady her nerves, she asked her own question. “How are you still alive?”

The man in front of her furrowed his brows and crossed his arms. "Is this some kind of trick?" 

Even more confused by his return question, Caitlin wrinkled her own brows and blustered her return volley, “What?” This was the only thing she could think to say to the monster she now faced. Not just a monster, but a liar - who’d hid his true nature from her and her friends.

Dr. Wells unfolded his arms and moved closer, now standing directly in front of the glass. “Whatever your reason for being here, it’s not going to change anything.”

Caitlin stared, mute. The man in the yellow suit sighed and turned, walking away and closing the chamber door, leaving his guest to stew over her predicament. Caitlin racked her brain, searching to find meaning. Why was she in the pipeline? Why was the Reverse Flash walking around free? Better yet, why wasn’t he dead? Slumping against the wall opposite the glass, Caitlin sat, closing her eyes. Flashes of Dr. Wells stirred her recent memories - the strange video and the blue vortex. It was obvious she must’ve been transported, but where was she? And even more perplexing, with the Reverse Flash here in the flesh - when was she?

Agitated, Caitlin chewed on her lips as her mind raced. She was somewhere else or somewhen else. Her friends didn’t know where she was and she had no idea if they were okay either- and trapped inside the pipeline there was nothing she could do to help them. The chamber opened again but instead of Dr. Wells, it was Cisco standing there, eyes an icy blue.

“Now, why are you here?”

“Cisco, what happened to you?” Caitlin’s voice broke. Things were getting too freaky - first seeing Reverse Flash and now seeing her best friend sounding and looking weird. Cisco’s few brief words to her had been reminiscent of ice cracking.

“What do you mean, ‘what happened?’ You already know.” Cisco shook his head and his tone softened. “I can’t believe you showed up here after all this time.”

“Cisco, wrap it up! Mr. Merlyn is here with the supplies we need. Get your head straight, we’ve got to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

Caitlin recognized the voice before she saw him, Mark Mardon was here. The Weather Wizard, but why? She searched her memories for any logical reason for all of these strange occurrences - nothing was coming to mind.

Cisco never looked away from Caitlin. “Whatever you’re planning, it won’t work.” His eerie blue eyes flickered as if tears had frozen in them, but he continued to back away and closed the chamber door, silencing anything Caitlin might have said. 

Well, that had been upsetting and disturbing. Even if she did escape, who could she trust? Thinking back on the video, Caitlin remembered that Dr. Wells had said Central City was in danger...but from what? Maybe Reverse Flash had brainwashed Cisco into not trusting her? But you don’t brainwash eyes into changing colour…

Seconds turned into minutes and slowly ticked over into hours - and after what felt like an eternity the chamber door opened again. It was Dr. Wells, no, Eobard Thawne. He stared at her like she was a puzzle he was desperate to solve or maybe he was trying to break her like he must’ve broken Cisco.

“Did you tell him about the supplies coming in? Is that how he knew?” His voice rose with each word and he stormed over to the glass partition. Pointing an accusing finger, Eobard threatened Caitlin. “If anything happens to the Green Arrow, I promise you, you will remain in this cell - forever!”

Caitlin jumped as he banged his fist on the glass.

Suddenly his demeanor changed. His glare withered and confusion grew on his face; he tilted his head to the side and he looked up and down at his trembling captive. His hands went to his messy hair, his eyes widened and he gnawed the corner of his mouth. Eobard turned his back on Caitlin, and pulled a lever - but instead of shutting the chamber, he opened the cell door. Wary of causing more trouble, Caitlin stood still, unwilling to try to exit in case it was a trick.

“I think there’s been a mix up.”

Eobard sounded sincere but Caitlin knew he was a master manipulator. Remaining still, she waited for his next move. He walked towards her, his hands raised a little in the manner all people do when approaching a scared animal. Caitlin told herself to be brave but she flinched when he loomed too close - and as soon as he realized she was at her limits, Eobard lowered his hands and edged himself back a step.

“Clearly, you are not who I thought you were. Please, accept my sincere apologies.”

As smooth as his phrasing was, Eobard had rushed the delivery, and his cheeks were turning red. A blush? Still confused and now bemused, Caitlin remained still and silent, staring at her captor.

Eobard ran a hand over his chest, rubbing to a spot just left of his heart. “Cisco, please play the video for Ms. Snow.”

Above her in the corner Caitlin could hear heavy breathing but she refused to take her eyes off the speedster in front of her. Eobard ran out of the chamber and Caitlin’s mouth dropped open. His lighting was yellow - not red.

“My name is Dr. Harrison Wells…” Caitlin scrambled out of the corner and watched the screen that had been above her head this whole time. It was the video she’d been watching from the Cortex, her normal Cortex. This picture was better quality though. “Central City needs help. The Flash is not who I thought. He’s failing this city, not saving it.”

Caitlin gulped air in shock, unwilling to believe her ears.

“I don’t know what else to do, this video has been encrypted with a portal permission to access this world. Please, we need help.”

The video continued instead of breaking into static and ending in a black screen. There was a bang off-screen making Dr. Wells drop the camera and then only his feet were in frame - his feet and one other set, then a blur of red lightning and very recognizable red shoes. “Dr. Wells, I heard you were trying to replace me with this.” The person speaking was Barry but Caitlin had never before heard him sound so cold.

“Mr. Allen, put Mr. Ramon down. I’m sure we can talk about this.” Dr. Wells pleaded.

Caitlin watched and tried to make sense from the fragmented scene. From the clues she had, she imagined Barry with a smirk on his face from his next words as he scoffed, “I’ll put Cisco down when you realize I don’t need your help. I’m the one with powers - not you.”

It was faint, but Dr. Wells replied: “You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to interfere with your powers, now please, let Mr. Ramon go.”

Caitlin watched in horror as Cisco’s body dropped in the video and landed with a meaty thud.

Barry said, “Your precious particle accelerator is the reason I’m doing this. You killed my mom and you can’t stop me from taking everything you hold dear in retaliation!” His last words were shouted and abruptly the video went black.


	2. False Mirrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caitlin helps.

Eobard was still gone. He’d left the cell open and he’d apologized. Weird. Taking a deep breath Caitlin decided she needed to take a look around. It was better than staying in the pipeline and maybe she could figure out what was going on. Caution foremost in her mind, Caitlin stepped out of her cell and her mind began to race with what she just witnessed on the video. She’d never thought Barry would act like and she was curious as to why Thawne had Dr. Wells’ face? 

Around the corner, heading towards the Cortex, Caitlin could hear overlapping voices of a lot of people shouting - making it impossible to understand what was being said. Continuing on around a bend, there were a lot of people walking around. An easy twenty right in front of her and more further inside if she had to guess. Her mouth hung open. Caitlin had never seen so many people inside STAR Labs all at once. What was going on here? 

As Caitlin made her way through the sea of people, she noticed quite a few of them glaring at her. Not understanding why she offered a smile but would only get heated stares in return. As she got closer she was able to tune out some of the other voices and Caitlin started to decipher what some people were saying. 

"Why did you let her out?" shouted a male voice she didn't recognize. 

"Because she's not the Caitlin Snow that has been working with the Flash." 

Hearing that voice brought back a lot of memories for her but she’d never heard Eobard sound like that...almost protective. 

"How can you tell?" This time an unknown female spoke up. 

Turning one last corner Caitlin was at the entrance of the Cortex. A large group of people stood around, looking at the center of the room where Eobard defended her. 

"Because Caitlin flinched when I confronted her, and she thought I was dead." His voice sounded strained and his hands kept pulling at his black messy hair. 

Taking her eyes away from the man in the center of the room, a few faces jumped out at her. Mick Rory was standing off to the side watching as Leonard Snart fired questions off. Caitlin continued to survey the room, also seeing Mark Mardon, Hannibal Bates, and Lisa Snart. All these people had been brought to justice in her world.

"How's Tommy doing?" Eobard walked over to Cisco who emerged from the Med bay.

"I'm not a doctor, I don't know." 

Hearing this Caitlin cleared her throat several people turned in her direction. "I'm a doctor." She couldn't help but feel small with so many people glaring at her except for Eobard. How could so little time flip her emotions? She’d never thought she'd be grateful for the yellow clad speedster.

"Perhaps we could discuss this before we let her do whatever." Mick spoke but that didn't deter Caitlin as she walked towards the Med Bay. She stopped when Mark Mardon and Cisco blocked her path. This was a terrible day, to have her good friend Cisco bar her way? Standing her ground she folded her arms across her chest, giving the pair her hardest stare. 

"If you want to make sure he's okay, you're going to have to move." Holding their gaze Caitlin waited but the pair refused to budge. The tension in the room rose as everyone around them clued into the standoff and the gossip buzzed. 

"Let her through." Eobard spoke with a deep impatient growl. Mark and Cisco exchanged a look before reluctantly moving to the side.

Inside the Med Bay Caitlin saw a man she didn't recognize, laying perfectly still on one of the beds, and closer she could see very severe burns on his left side of his body. Her erstwhile patient wore a dark green leather jacket and it was melted to his skin. The smell of burnt flesh was so strong Caitlin held back a gag. Looking around the room for appropriate supplies her eyes widened, the disarray of the room did not bode well. Boxes were stacked on top of one another without regard for contents, nothing seemed to be organized. Bandages and gauze were scattered everywhere. Just looking at the mess was making Caitlin overwhelmed.

"Need some help?" a familiar voice asked. Turning around, Caitlin saw Peek-a-boo as she was known on her earth. Remembering how this woman tried to kill her caused Caitlin to stiffen but only for a second; she must have noticed because her friendly smile faltered.

Instantly feeling guilty for her reaction Caitlin offered a smile. "Yes, I would love some help." 

"Shawna Baez." The woman held her hand out, coming closer. Grasping the offered hand, Caitlin shook it.

Momentarily forgetting about her patient, Caitlin mentally kicked herself. "Okay Shawna, we're going to need scissors, morphine, and clean gauze." 

Going back to the bed, Caitlin rolled up the sleeve on her patient’s good arm - Tommy, as Eobard had said, checking his veins for the morphine bag. His left arm had the most damage but without removing his jacket she couldn't tell how bad it was.

"Here's scissors and gauze." Items now in hand, Caitlin didn't want to try to remove the burned leather without morphine. What if he woke up?

"It would be better if we had morphine, is there any morphine?" Dragging her eyes across the disorganized room she hoped it would jump out at her, but sadly that didn't happen. No drugs meant risking tying him down to endure the pain. The stress of that would spike his blood pressure.Caitlin continued to scan the jumbled contents of the room. 

Papers went flying, signaling Eobard's entrance. The moment brought back memories of Barry doing the exact same thing -- it used to drive her crazy when Barry made a mess in her area. 

"How is it going?" Eobard sounded worried. 

Her voice soft but filled with impatience, Caitlin asked, "Is there any morphine?"

Noting her tone Eobard quickly shook his head. "No, it got destroyed with the other supplies that were being brought in."

Great. Just great. She didn't think it was wise to do this without morphine but it looked like she had no choice. "Okay then, I'm going to need something to tie him down, just in case he wakes up." She tried her best to sound confident but her voice wavered a little. 

Nodding, Eobard ran out of the room, returning a second later with Meta Cuffs. 

Caitlin scrunched her nose at the offered cuffs. “What do you want me to do with these?”

Eobard explained, "We don't have anything else." 

"Okay fine." Caitlin found some gloves and a face mask. Putting them on she watched Eobard secure the man to the bed with the Meta Cuffs, who was thankfully still unconscious. Taking a deep breath to settle her nerves she lifted the scissors and cut the jacket as close to the damaged area as she could without accidentally touching the burned skin. "I'm gonna need a Sterilized scalpel." Caitlin only had to wait a few seconds before one was in her hand. Eobard was watching her movements carefully. 

Putting attention back on her patient, and with a steady hand, Caitlin brought the scalpel to the top of the shoulder. The leather there was almost completely burned off which made it a little easier to remove but she knew once she moved down it would get more difficult. Slowly Caitlin cut a shape out and just as slowly removed it without incident. Shawna had donned her own face mask and gloves at this point, and now held out a tray to collect the burned fabric. 

Removing more leather from his shoulder, Caitlin saw the skin was blistered to second degree burns. Working her way down, the leather was becoming harder to remove. Taking a deep breath she forced down her nerves. 

Now at the elbow, Caitlin was feeling more confident but that was shattered as Tommy suddenly rose up, fighting the restraints. She scuttled back and Eobard rushed forward, encouraging the man to lay back down. Caitlin stepping back to the bed, looking at the man lying on the bed. His hard eyes were staring straight up at the ceiling - not moving - but his chest was heaving, otherwise anyone would think he was dead. 

Taking a deep breath, Caitlin got back to work. The only sounds Tommy made were sucking in sharp breaths of air when the fabric caught on his skin and she had to pull a little harder. She had to give it to him, he had a great resistance to pain. 

Removing the last bit of the garment, Caitlin noticed that the skin was in even worse shape past the elbow. Thinking about possible treatments, she was worried about it getting infected. "I'm going to have to wash the wound twice a day, put some Vaseline on there and wrap it in gauze." Her professional voice came through as she explained what would need to be done. 

Tommy nodded along with what she said. "Thank you." 

Eobard gave Caitlin a bright smile, sounding proud, “Good job!” and Shawna patted her on the back.

"Well, I couldn't have done it without you two."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews motivate me to write quicker. Thank you for everyone who had reviwed so far it means a lot.


	3. A Mirror Broken by Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caitlin finds some new revelations about the strange world.

Caitlin sighed. The Med Bay was empty; she’d given her patient strict orders to stay in bed but Tommy took every opportunity to disobey. He was a grown man, might as well ignore this infraction. Moving further inside the room she noticed the computer was logged on, the screen was blinking, waiting for a prompt. Nibbling on her lip, she looked at the people inside the Cortex, no one was paying any attention to her.

Sitting there, Caitlin decided it would be a good idea to find out more about this strange world. Moving the mouse, Caitlin minimized the document and clicked on the internet - but the screen showed that she wasn’t connected. Dragging the white arrow to the right corner of the page, Caitlin hit the wifi image and clicked. She found one available connection named Emergencies. Such a strange name for that.

Furrowing her brows she clicked on that and a box popped up asking for the password. She sighed deeply, feeling defeated. Opening the drawer to the left she saw a book inside. Picking it up, the title read ‘101 Ways to Cook Soup.’ Shaking her head, Caitlin couldn't fathom why this book was here at all. She flipped it open and looked at the recipes, some had been dog-eared but she didn't find anything about a password. Returning the book to the drawer she next opened the one in the front. Caitlin saw pens and sticky notes. While inside rummaging through the mess, a pink note caught her attention. Written on it was password: minestrone. Now the cookbook made sense.

After checking left, right and behind herself, Caitlin typed ‘minestrone’ into the waiting password prompted box. She held her breath and hit enter - success! Briefly crossing her fingers for luck, Caitlin continued to explore the cyberworld for answers. First things first. She opened the ‘favourites’ tab and scrolled down to the very end. Huh. Not as many mature sites as she herself had on her own computer. A couple of websites she wanted to add to her list had shown up - engrish.com, tumblr.com and deviantart.com. Why not have a quick look while she was here?

Okay, so the first site had too many funny misused english words and hilarious pictures and products. Tumblr dot com was too weird to understand in the limited amount of time she had - that was a week-long project for way, way later. Browsing art on deviantart was gonna scar her if she kept looking. Just the truth. Mmm, perhaps the cookbook held the clue to where she should look and not just the password. And cooking was innocent. Yeah? Yeah! No surprising naked pictures, no odd and crazy specific tumblr memes - an easy and logical looking place.

Epicurious dot com. That sounded very official and relating to food and cooking. Taking a leap, Caitlin clicked on the link. The computer flickered and showed a lovely and serene picture of asparagus, sprinkled with sesame seeds and parmesan. Caitlin’s stomach grumbled. Sometimes it sucked to be human and hungry.

Remembering the password, Caitlin searched ‘soup’ in the pop-up search bar of the food site. She scrolled down to ‘italian soup’ and clicked on the most popular post for minestrone soup. It showed a twenty minute video. No way did she have twenty minutes to watch that right now - but the comments… She had enough time to read those.

Not paying particular attention to the icons of the commenters, Caitlin read all the bits and bobs easily seen as she zoomed down the screen. Someone who’d named themself ‘chef_de_resistance’ had given the recipe two thumbs up and a bravo kiss - whatever that was. ‘Micheline Star Trois’ had loaded over a dozen images of hands clapping in response to this recipe. Was this site filled with more weirdos than tumblr?

Losing heart but still wanting - needing to find answers, Caitlin kept scrolling. A familiar handsome face smiled at her. Wow. Eobard was truly eye-candy. Tasty. Oh. This was the clue she’d been looking for.

“Hey!” Cisco frowned, crossing his arms, scuttling fast inside the Med Bay to stand in front of Caitlin. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Nothing?” Caitlin took the opportunity as Cisco’s eyes fastened on her to click onto another recipe. “I’m ashamed to tell you I’m hungry.” She giggled and pointed to the screen that now held a picture of chicken casserole. “I let my stomach do all my thinking.”

Cisco's icy eyes hardened. It was scary seeing him looking like that but not wanting to show him this, Caitlin rose out of her chair. “I can look at this whenever though.”

“Not you can't.” Cisco shook his head. “What if Barry hacks our system and finds traces of us? This could turn sour, fast.”

“I’m just looking at food!”

“Barry is dangerous.” Cisco regained his tense posture. “I can’t stress enough that he’s nothing but trouble but you just got here so you don't understand!”

“I have a hard time believing that.”

“You don’t want to know everything he’s put us through.” Cisco rubbed his forehead, back to scowling at Caitlin.

“You’re right. I don’t know what he’s done, but you’re wrong too. I want to know so I can help. What’s your problem with him?”

Cisco opened his mouth but after a long second let it close with a snap. His eyes spoke volumes, anger and frustration in equal measures. Cisco raised his hands, mist forming around them. Caitlin stiffened silently hoping he wasn't about to ice her - it would not be good. Giving her one last hard look his eyes screamed rage as he turned and engulfed the computer in ice, knocking it off the table breaking it. "If you're not careful you're going to get us all killed!" His scream vibrated off the walls. 

Caitlin was sure everyone in the Cortex was looking at them if they hadn't been already. Feeling her own anger grow Caitlin could feel Killer Frost rising to the surface. Caitlin seceded her alter ego control; her hair frosted white and her eyes glowed blue. Killer Frost laughed.

Cisco stood with his mouth gaping open but he recovered quickly giving her an icy stare - very much like the one Killer Frost had. "You thought you were the only one with powers?" An ugly smirk on his face, Cisco threw an ice dagger.

Dodging it with feline grace, she threw one of her own, shattering the glass window that separated the Cortex and the Med Bay. People ran screaming for cover.

"You don't seem to have very good aim."

Cisco’s taunt made her blood boil. Unleashing everything she had, Killer Frost tossed several more ice daggers, forcing Cisco into following a path of her choosing. She flooded the whole room with mist, turning the floor underfoot into an ice rink. Cisco was sent careening across the Med Bay and fell - hard. Taking the opportunity once he was on the ground, she grabbed the collar of his shirt in one hand and formed a dagger in the other. 

A malevolent smile on her face, Killer Frost pointed the weapon to his throat. "Don't ever presume to know anything about me." 

Cisco laughed and the sound was disquieting.

Killer Frost’s feet slipped; landing with bruising force on the floor, she recovered fast enough to match Cisco’s stance as they challenged each other. 

Cisco threw the next attack, a hurricane force of hail that sent Killer Frost colliding with the wall.

Regaining her footing, Frost felt wind surrounding her again, sweeping her off her feet and sending her crashing to the floor in a heap of limbs. Anger towards Cisco had Frost play dead as she planned a sure to be devastating counterattack. She let her powers build. Cisco was going to regret ever being born. Blinking, it took her a minute to realize she was no longer in the Med Bay. This was the Speed Lab; no doubt Eobard had separated her and Cisco. As her adrenaline rush declined, Killer Frost could feel herself sinking back into the recesses of Caitlins mind.

The first thing Caitlin registered was that she was in the Speed Lab and Cisco was nowhere to be seen. Taking a deep breath, Caitlin hoped that she hadn't made Eobard too angry - but she wasn't going to let anyone push her around either.

"You okay?" Eobard asked from the corner of the room. 

She jumped slightly, not expecting him to be there. Taking in his appearance, she noted he was no longer wearing his yellow suit - instead he wore black jeans with a black shirt and a leather jacket. What was it with him and black? 

Shaking her head, Caitlin tried to get her mind to focus on what he had said. "Um, yeah, I'm okay." Caitlin sighed and walked towards Eobard who was watching her closely like he was studying her, making the pit in her stomach twist.

"You have powers." Eobard stated never taking his eyes off her.

Trying to ignore the way his eyes shone with curiosity, Caitlin mentally shook herself to focus. The only thing she could do was nod. What did he expect her to say?

Eobard sat, lounging in the chair next to the computer station. He licked his lips, smirking. "May I make a suggestion, Miss Snow?" 

Sitting down opposite him, Caitlin replied, "Sure, go ahead." 

He leaned forward so much she could feel his breath on her face. "If you're going to use your powers without restraint, I recommend you work on your aim."

Caitlin broke eye contact, her whole face turning red. From under thick lashes she peeked at the speedster in front of her. He seemed to be enjoying this - he had a very satisfied smile. Not wanting him to feel like he had her flustered, Caitlin said, "Maybe you could help with that?" 

Now it was Eobard's turn to break eye contact.

Laughing at his reaction, Caitlin didn't want to spoil the mood but knew she would have to ask eventually and now was as good a time as any. "What's Cisco's deal anyway?" 

That got Eobard’s attention. His head snapped back up and he scowled but then thought the better of that, his face going slack. Making a production of clearing his throat, Eobard opened his mouth but promptly closed it again. He rubbed his face and sighed. “Um, Caitlin of this Earth and Cisco... They were best friends. I mean, what memories I have from Harrison, show them together, all the time. They trusted each other more than anyone else. Harrison thought that maybe there was something more, but I don't know.''

Caitlin listened with a heavy heart. Whatever had happened between Cisco and his world’s Caitlin must not have been good. 

"You see, when I got here, she was really quiet. Actually, I don't think I ever heard her speak." After a long, deep breath he continued. "Well, one night Cisco, Harrison and Caitlin were working with me, helping me increase my speed. Just a normal night. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary until she suggested that we put meta dampening cuffs on to see how the dark matter was affecting my body. No one thought that was strange. I mean we'd done it plenty of times before with different Metas." 

Caitlin watched as Eobard’s eyes grew darker, his fist clenching and his voice gaining a brittle timbre.

"When the cuffs were on, she managed to open a portal and access the power from that to send a cross-feed vibration at Cisco and myself - sending us flying across the room. Caitlin kept the portal open, and the Flash came through. He plunged his vibrating hand through Harrison's stomach. He didn’t kill him right away. It was...unkind, to say the least."

Caitlin sat there, her hand covering her mouth. She couldn't believe that a version of herself would betray people that she supposedly cared about. Reaching out, Caitlin touched Eobard’s arm. "I'm so sorry." 

Giving her a small smile, Eobard gulped. “It’s okay. Now you see why we couldn’t trust you at first.”

Caitlin didn't think she’d ever seen Eobard look so vulnerable. Knowing this important fact meant she could understand why Cisco had been so hostile. Something was still bugging her. Caitlin prepared herself to ask the question she'd been wondering, ever since she’d gotten here. "Why do you have Harrison's face?”

Tilting his head, Eobard seemed to be thinking hard about her question. "When Dr. Wells was dying, Cisco said that Central City needed him. He was giving people hope, that everything was going to be okay. I feel like a fool,” his voice became a whisper, “I was just giving people false hope." He looked haggard and exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes.

Before she could ask her next question an alarm sounded. Caitlin recognized it as the one that signified an attack. 

Eobard’s brows knitted together and he looked bemused at the noise. "That's not normal." 

Being swept from the room in Eobard’s arms, next Caitlin found herself in the Cortex. People were gathered in gossiping throngs, looking at the speedster for answers. There wasn’t much she could do to help. Caitlin took a seat in front of the computer - she could see that someone had sent a message. She lifted her arm, waving it weakly at Eobard. "There’s a message." Eobard zipped directly behind her to read from the computer himself. Bringing the message up, Caitlin could see it was a video. 

"Play it." Eobard’s breath was right in Caitlin’s ear.

Clicking the link, Caitlin then moved it to the big screen so the other people could see it. The screen was dark, only heavy breathing could be heard. Then, a woman's voice. "My name is Ivana - and I need help. I'm in the old hospital, please!” The woman’s voice pleaded, “If anyone is out there, help me." The video stopped. 

Everyone in the room was quiet. Simultaneously they turned to Eobard and waited for his reaction. "I don't know about this." He seemed to be weighing the options in his head. 

"Is something wrong?" Caitlin couldn't understand. Why did something like this have to be weighed and considered? If someone needed help, shouldn't they help this woman?

"That's not how we send messages in this world, we could be walking into a trap." From the edge of the room, Mark Mardon made his comment, impatience topmost in his voice.

Ignoring his tone, Caitlin turned her attention back to Eobard who had moved off to the side and was talking in hushed whispers with her noncompliant patient, Tommy. When they were done Eobard spoke. "Two teams of four will go out. Team One with the strongest fighters will go and investigate the message, and the other team will find supplies." Like his words were orders from a king, as soon as he finished speaking, a lot of people rushed out of the Cortex. 

Caitlin's heart began to beat rapidly. This world was extremely different than her own and to know that they had to go out in teams to get something as simple as supplies made her nervous.

Watching Eobard walk out of the room she got the sudden urge to talk to him. Standing up and following him, Caitlin saw him duck around the corner to enter the pipeline. She hurried to follow, and saw him just standing there staring off into space. Stepping closer, Caitlin cleared her throat.

Eobard turned, facing Caitlin. Worry had him looking older than he was; the lines in his face really showed but it didn't take away from his handsomeness.

"You okay?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Yeah. I'm just thinking about how everything has changed.” Eobard’s gaze went a little unfocused. “And I wonder if there's an end to it all." 

Caitlin took a few more steps until she was standing directly in front of Eobard. Reaching out, she cupped his face with her hand. The action was so simple. Eobard closed his eyes at the act of affection. "We just have to hope that things will work out. We have to hope that things will turn out for the better. I know I've only been here for a short while,” admitted Caitlin, “but I believe in you." 

Eobard nodded and whispered, "Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay sorry it took so long to update. 
> 
> Thank you to DancesWithSeatbelts for helping me with this chapter. 
> 
> Please leave your comments below I love hearing what you all think.


	4. The Archer in the Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caitlin bonds with a certain green archer.

Sitting in the Cortex, Caitlin watched as all the Metahumans were gathered - debating who should go on which mission. The first thing she noticed was that there weren't many metahuman people here. There were a total of maybe fifteen people with powers, including herself in the Cortex.

"On the first team will be: myself, Peek-a-Boo, Weather Wizard, and Cisco."

Hearing Cisco's name made Caitlin feel a pang of guilt for what happened earlier; maybe one day he could see that she wasn't her doppelganger.

"The other team will consist of Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Pied Piper, and Golden Glider." Once Eobard had finished naming off the teams, everyone hurried out of the room to prepare.

Eobard stopped in front of her, leaning on the desk, watching. Feeling self-conscious she avoided his stare and lifts her hands up to the keyboard, acting like she was doing something on the computer.

"If you want, while some people are out, you can straighten up the Med Bay area."

Caitlin looked back up. Eobard was still staring at her but she couldn't read his expression. Caitlin was glad that she would have something to do finally and feel useful. "Thanks. It really needs some organization." Having the Med Bay sorted would be a great help to everyone here, and maybe it would help some of the people here see that she wasn't a danger to them.

Eobard smiled and stood up straight. Caitlin couldn't help but admire his body and the way the black sweater he was wearing showed off his physique.

The sound of footsteps brought Caitlin out of her thoughts. Turning, she saw Tommy; in a blue shirt and black jeans - his arm still bandaged from the helicopter explosion. He tried to make a quick getaway but Caitlin called out to him. He slowly turned around, his face giving the impression of a child getting caught doing something bad.

"You know Tommy, you don't have to avoid me just because I told you to stay in bed."

With a puzzled look on his face the man shrugged. "I'm not avoiding you. I was just going to check on something." Tommy shuffled his feet, darting his eyes over to the left. 

That really made Caitlin think of a child. Raising her hands in surrender Caitlin said, "Okay, sure."

Eobard laughed behind her.

Tommy's shoulders tensed and he raised an arm. "Come on man, is that really necessary?"

Eobard had his hand over his mouth trying to stifle more of his laughter threatening to come out.

Rolling her eyes at their childish antics, Caitlin was reminded of Barry and Oliver. A wave of sadness overcame her thinking about her own Earth - none of her friends knew where she was. Caitlin could imagine them searching frantically and nothing would come of it. Sniffing, Caitlin tried to regain her composure. She didn't need to start crying in front of these two men.

Tommy must have noticed Caitlin's change in demeanor because he quickly pointed towards the exit. "I think I'm going to go see if anyone needs my help." Quickly he left the room.

Eobard walked around the desk and took the available chair beside her. At first he didn't do or say anything. Just stared at her. Caitlin wiped away sticky tears waiting for the uncomfortable silence to be broken.

In a slow motion he reaching out, Eobard grasped Caitlin's hand and in a soft voice asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Taking a deep breath, Caitlin settled her nerves. "I just can't help but think about my friends and how they have no idea where I am."

Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, Eobard licked his lips. "I guess I never thought about how hard this must be on you. I'm sorry."

His sincere reply broke the dam and tears freely fell from Caitlins eyes. Covering her mouth, Caitin tried to stop sobs from escaping - but was unsuccessful. Feeling strong arms wrap around her Caitlin allowed Eobard to engulf her into a hug. As she cried on his shoulder he soothingly rubbed her back. 

"It's going to be okay."

Sniffing, Caitlin pulled away from Eobard’s embrace and whispered, "Thank you." She really didn't mean to start crying all over him - it just happened; but Caitlin was grateful he didn't make a big deal out of it.

An awkward silence fell over them. Eobard opened his mouth but quickly closed it. Caitlin could see his brows knitted and he kept fidgeting with a pen. Clearing her throat she desperately wanted to break the silence, but her mind was blank.

"Eobard, you ready to go?"

Caitlin didn't have to look to see who it was, she easily recognized his voice. Cisco sounded impatient but no doubt it was because of her. They both stared at each other for a second more before Eobard broke eye contact and then looked at Cisco, nodding his head. Caitlin followed his lead and stood up with him.

She felt this urge to tell him something but she couldn't identify what it was so instead Caitlin raised her arms and wrapped him in a strong embrace. Closing her eyes, Caitlin made a mental note of how Eobard's body felt against hers. Lifting her head slightly, she whispered into his ear, "Be careful." Reluctantly, Caitlin pulled away from him. She already missed the warmth of the hug.

Eobard nodded and dropped a swift and chaste kiss on Caitlin’s forehead. “I always am.” Giving her a smile, Eobard raced from the room causing Caitlin's hair to fly in her face. Taking a deep breath she sunk down in the chair and hoped everyone would come back okay.

Wandering the halls of STAR Labs was different in this world. Caitlin couldn't go into a room without someone being in it. She really didn't understand how things had gotten so bad that so many people had sought refuge inside. Turning another corner, Caitlin saw Tommy hunched over a book, his brows furrowed. Curious, she stepped further into the room. Taking in the surroundings Caitlin saw a small stove, refrigerator, and boxes stacked all around.

"What are you doing?"

Tommy jumped at the sound of her voice. Placing his uninjured hand over his heart he cursed under his breath. "Eobard left me in charge so I'm trying to make soup." He sounded unsure. 

Reaching for the book, Caitlin turned it around so she could see the recipe on the page. It was a simple chicken noodle soup. What could be so hard about that? "This looks easy enough." She was sure that they could make it. Walking over to some of the boxes, Caitlin opened one. It was packed full of dry noodles. She took out four large bags and set them on the counter.

Tommy was going through boxes as best he could with his injured arm. He kicked one box closer to the counter. Reaching down, Caitlin retrieved several cans of chicken. Walking around the room she began opening cabinets. There were hundreds of bowls. Opening more cabinets there were about twenty pots and frying pans but nothing big enough to make the soup in. 

"Tommy, do you know if there’s a bigger pot here?" Caitlin began opening more boxes hoping to find something to use. She found bottles of water, dried fruits, and a lot of other processed foods. Tommy let out a triumphant yell from across the room, he flourished a large pot. Shaking her head, she pointed at it. "Where did you find that?" 

Tommy turned his head behind him, pointing to the refrigerator. "It was just in there."

Confused, Caitlin asked. "Why would it be in there?" 

Walking towards her, Tommy sat the large pot on the counter. "I don't know." He lifted the lid off the pot and looked inside - it was empty and appeared to have been cleaned recently.

Grabbing the cookbook, Caitlin read over the recipe again, but it was for only four people. She’d need to find out how many people were here to make the correct amount. "How many people are here?"

At first Tommy said nothing, just stared at her. Holding up a finger he left, but shortly returned with a clipboard. Tommy began flipping through it when he came to a stop he said, "With the two teams out, it makes one hundred, twenty-two people."

Caitlin's mouth hung open. She didn't think there had ever been that many people in STAR Labs before. Quickly doing the math in her head, they would have to times the original recipe by thirty and a half to feed that many people. Reading the sides of the cans Caitlin began figuring out how much she would need. "Who usually cooks all the food?" 

Tommy, who was pulling chicken broth out of boxes stopped and headed over to the door, pulling another clipboard from the wall and handed it to her.

Caitlin saw familiar names scribbled on a piece of paper. Eobard and Cisco were written and beside their names was dinner: chicken noodle soup. Looking up the list, it read lunch and two other names, the same thing for breakfast. 

Caitlin asked, "Do people take turns cleaning as well?" 

Tommy nodded, grabbing the clipboard and returning it to the wall by the door. 

Counting the cans again, Caitlin had a total of sixty one cans. Satisfied, she picked up the pot and set it on the stove. Tommy was counting the chicken broth packages - there were twenty. Grabbing one of the boxes, Caitlin started adding the chicken broth one at a time. Turning the dial on the stove on high, she waited for the broth to start boiling.

"How do you get so much food here?" Caitlin turned around to watch Tommy who was still counting out the noodles.

"That's me. I have supplies sent from Star City by helicopter, we usually only do that at night but today I was hoping to get them here sooner. I had a target I needed to stop, but now I'm trapped here like the rest of you." His voice cracked, and Caitlin could see he felt bad about rushing it.

Feeling for him, Caitlin said, "It's not your fault, from what I understand, this Earth sounds very dangerous."

"You and Eobard both." 

The speedster’s name brought a smile to Caitlin’s face. 

Tommy, noticing this reaction, started teasing her. "Eobard is like a giant mother hen - always worried about his chicks."

The chicken broth had started to boil. Thankful for the distraction, Caitlin lifted the lid off the pot, the steam hit her directly in the face, making her blink a few times. Tommy opened a bag of noodles and poured it into the pot, making the broth stop boiling for a few minutes as they both continued to add more noodles. Opening a drawer, Caitlin found a large wooden spoon and stirred. The heat from the pot made her sweat. She removed her jacket.

Tommy came forward, grabbing the spoon. "I got that." 

Stepping aside, Caitlin relinquished the spoon and allowed him to take over. "Do you know me on your Earth?" 

Shaking her head, Caitlin said, "No, on my Earth, Oliver Queen’s the Arrow."

Tommy's eyes grew wide, he then pointed at her, laughing. "That's a good one. You’ve gotta be kidding me!" 

Shaking her head, Caitlin responded, "No, I'm serious. On my Earth, Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow."

Tommy's brows furrowed and his eyes squinted. Crossing his arms, he said, "You mean to tell me, playboy Oliver is The Green Arrow." 

Caitlin nodded.

Tommy started laughing so hard he was wheezing and his face went red.

Ignoring him, Caitlin walked back to the stove and grabbed the spoon, lifting the lid. She scooped up a few noodles up and blew on them. Tommy plucked one noodle off the spoon. "Let me show you a trick my grandma taught me." She watched horrified as Tommy flung the noodle at the wall where it stuck.

"Why did you do that?" 

Raising his hand at the stuck noodle, he explained, "That's how you know it's done! If it sticks." 

Scrunching her face, Caitlin said, "That doesn't mean anything." 

"Oh really? Taste another noodle then."

Letting out a sigh, Caitlin blew on the noodles she had on the spoon. Once cool enough she tasted them, soft. Huh. Maybe he knew what he was talking about - but she still glared at Tommy.

Tommy boasted, "See, what did I tell you?" 

Before she could respond, Cisco came storming into the room, his icy eyes had rage in them. Stopping in front of Caitlin, he began yelling, "You did this!" He pointed a shaking and accusing finger at her. 

Caitlin was caught off guard. Cisco hit her with a burst of hail that sent her flying. Feeling Killer Frost rising to the surface, Caitlin pushed herself up off the floor.

Tommy had gotten between them, his hand was on Cisco's chest and he yelled at him to get back. "What's going on?" 

Peek-a-boo came into the room and rushed over to help Caitlin up. "Eobard’s been taken."

Caitlin’s eyes grew wide and if she hadn’t been already slumped on the floor she would have fallen. Without thinking she whispered out loud, “Taken.” She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. ‘Taken’ had such an ugly connotation and she couldn’t help but worry for Eobard’s safety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments and tell you what you think. 
> 
> I want to thank DancesWithSeatbelts for being a big help and a great support.


	5. The Doctor in the Mirror.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caitlin discovers more about the new Earth.

Bruised, battered but not beaten in spirit, Eobard glared at his captor. Barry stood in the centre of the room, his arms crossed and a twisted, ugly, smile on his face. 

Fighting against the restraints didn't get Eobard far. The meta cuffs clanged against the metal bar holding him in place without any hint of give. Ignoring the speedster in front of him, Eobard surveyed his surroundings. This had to be the most dingy looking warehouse he’d ever been in; dust covered the floor and tattered cobwebs hung from the ceiling.

"I should've known that message was a trap." If Eobard’s gaze could bore a hole into his captor, then Barry would be dead in moments - but he didn't seem to care. Barry had used an innocent civilian and that was a real shit move, even for him. Eobard frowned.

Barry pulled a phone from his pocket and tapped the screen. A familiar voice filled the room. "My name is Ivana - and I need help. I'm in the old hospital, please!” The woman’s voice was shaky as she pleaded, “If anyone is out there, help me."

“Honestly, I'm surprised you fell for that." Barry's smile was huge and he seemed very proud of himself as he motioned behind Eobard. "I hope you don't mind but this meeting won't be private."

Eobard craned his neck. There was a person sitting in an office chair but they were facing away.

The luxurious leather chair creaked slightly and a tall woman stood. She wore an expensive red suit, and had long blonde hair - she clacked her impeccable shod feet to the centre of the room and smiled, her deep blue eyes glinting. “I don’t have all day, Barry. It’s been super fun to run this caper but I don’t have that much spare time.”

“True.” Barry stroked his chin like a B-grade villain. “Eobard, you’re going to stand down your plucky little crew of do-gooders and leave Star Labs.”

“You’re a funny man.” Eobard clapped his trapped hands, the metal jingling in harmony as he laughed. “Give me the time and I’ll make sure we clean and paint it so it’s fresh for the new tenants.”

“Shut up.” Supergirl ordered Eobard in an offhand tone. “You don’t get a vote or any other input.” She put one hand on Barry’s shoulder and tossed her hair. “Did you prepare our message?”

“Oh, you’re going to love this!” Barry grinned at Eobard. “It’s almost ready.”

“Excellent.” Kara simpered - there was no other way to describe her behaviour - as she leaned into Barry and ran her hand down his arm and then held his hand.

Eobard wanted to look away from Barry and Kara, but the odd tenderness they shared with one another was very much like coming upon an accident on a highway - he knew he should look away but the creep factor kept him intrigued.

><><><><

Stacks and stacks of boxes were scattered in the Med Bay and Caitlin felt suffocated; she wasn’t sure where to start - but did it really matter? Eobard was gone and nothing else in her whole world could be trusted. This strange world had the people she trusted most treating her like an enemy - and Tommy and Shawna were now her friends. Well, she may as well do something productive. Caitlin stood and grabbed the scissors, sliced the topmost box open and started to put everything out of her mind.

“Hey!”

Startled, Caitlin dropped the box she held.

“Sorry.” Tommy smiled, bending over to collect the box and spilled contents. “I think you need a break.”

Shawna leaned against another open box. “I gotta agree. C’mon, I’ve got something I think you’d really like to see.”

Caitlin allowed Shawna to grab her hand; Tommy following close behind. “You guys taking me to another lab? I’ve been all over my world’s Star Labs, this can’t be much different.”

“Heh! That’s where you’re wrong!” Tommy put on a burst of speed and jogged in front of the two women, turning to face them, walking backwards. “It’s totally different.” He exchanged a gleeful smile with Shawna and they both refused to answer any of the questions Caitlin asked as they ambled deeper into the rat’s maze of corridors and levels of this Earth’s Star Labs.

Tommy gave a wide flourish of his hand before opening the door where they stood. Caitlin saw a packed room, full of people - couples and children…families. The room was decorated with brightly colored streamers and white balloons fastened to tables and chairs. Making her way further into the room, she saw a child in the center, sitting at the end of a table with a festive party hat on her head. Lots of other children were gathered around her.

"Okay, I didn't expect this." Caitlin said, her face wreathed in a smile. She’d never thought she would see STAR Labs host a child's birthday party. This was just one more thing that made this world different. Different - but a nice change. 

"Yeah not everyone knows about Eobard, and I made the decision to keep it quiet." Tommy whispered into her ear. Caitlin thought that was for the best, it didn't do any good for everyone to panic.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry. Let's get some food." Shawna made her way to the food table across the room. Caitlin followed her since she hadn't eaten since yesterday's soup but someone caught her eye. Cisco was standing by the snacks table; he appeared extremely angry as his icy blue eyes hardened and glared at anyone who came near. 

"Don't worry about him." Caitlin tore her gaze from Cisco and met the archer's eyes. Nodding she gave Tommy a smile before coming closer to the birthday table where children were running around screaming and giggling. 

A blonde woman Caitlin didn't recognize started clapping her hands, desperate to get the attention of the rowdy children. "Alright, everyone gather around, we're about to sing happy birthday and open presents." 

Caitlin expected to see a cake; something brightly decorated, layers of sugar and cream. She didn’t even see cupcakes. While everyone, minus Cisco was gathering in a circle she leaned closer to Tommy and in a low voice she asked, "Where's the cake?" 

"No cake, just a few snacks that we save for special occasions."

This revelation made Caitlin sad. Every kid should have at least cupcakes or something sweet to eat on their birthday.

Satisfied with everyone that was gathered, the blonde led the entire group into singing a horrible rendition of happy birthday. Caitlin fought the urge to cover her ears as Tommy hit a particular high and unsteady note. With the song coming to an end, a box was brought over by Shawna. The birthday girl ripped off the homemade wrapping paper and lifted the lid. The girl's face lit up as she lifted the tiny black and white puppy from the box. Everyone awed over the tiny creature who was an adorable mix of husky and labrador retriever. 

"Tommy, where did that puppy come from? He’s so cute!" 

"Leonard Snart found him while they were gathering supplies." 

Nodding, Caitlin walked over to the snack table. There wasn't much to choose from but she couldn't ignore her stomach growling so she grabbed a small plate and took some chips and popcorn.

While Caitlin stood and ate she didn't notice Cisco coming up beside her. "You're lucky Tommy's in charge for now, because if I was, you'd be gone just as quick as you came." His voice was filled with anger.

Rolling her eyes, Caitlin wasn't in the mood for his threats today; she'd only been here for two days but Cisco was really grating her nerves. Not wanting to get into it at a kid's birthday party, Caitlin walked away but didn't get far as the blonde woman in charge of the party stepped into her path. She offered Caitlin a smile and held out her hand. "Hi! So nice to see you, my name’s Samantha." 

Grasping her hand, Caitlin shook it. "Caitlin Snow."

"Nice to meet you." Samantha smiled and Caitlin couldn't help but smile back. The blonde asked, "Having fun?" 

Nodding, Caitlin gestured around the room. "It's great, but it must be hard having to put a party together with minimal supplies." 

The woman nodded in agreement. "Yes, things have been extremely tough but we try our hardest for our kids. Are things better on your earth?" 

"I don’t know about better, but things are definitely different." Caitlin tried not to think about her own earth because these kids would pick up on how sad she got and that might ruin the party.

Samantha cleared her throat and asked, "On your earth, do metas have to band together?”

“My team is an actual band of metas, but we don’t have to stay together.” Caitlin crossed her arms and lowered her voice. “We fight to keep the vast majority of the public safe.”

“Oh.” Samantha sighed and her smile dimmed. “It must be nice to not have to hide your powers.”

“Not exactly. People, no matter what Earth they’re from - they don’t always share who they are.” Caitlin watched the children play with the puppy; smiling, laughing, carefree giggles. “We’re all working to make things better in our own way.”

After making her excuses, Caitlin made her way towards the Cortex, her thoughts going to Eobard and how much she missed him. If only Cisco and Barry from her world could meet him; thoughts of her friends made her even sadder. 

"Caitlin, what happened?" Shawna sounded worried as she ran to her. 

Sighing, Caitlin shook her head, not wanting to talk about it. The last thing she wanted was to cause more trouble. Continuing on her way, Caitlin just wanted to be alone. This STAR Labs was the same in all the ways that mattered to the original place - she could find solace and peace in the pipeline.

><><><><><

Eobard wanted to vomit. Kara and Barry were not the ugliest of couples, but they really needed to lay off the public displays of affection. Just, no.

“Mmm.” Barry kissed Kara’s cheek again; she sat on his lap - the office chair slowly spinning.

“You guys know torture is against the Geneva Convention, right?”

“Shut up, and I mean that in the nicest way,” said Kara, then licked her lips. “Should I text our team?” She relaxed against her lover’s body, her voice much softer as she purred, “Our message must be ready by now.”

“You’re so perfect.” Barry hugged Supergirl. “Our little message must be itching to be unleashed.”

“I quite resent being called little, but I must admit I am itching to give those fools everything they deserve.”

Barry and Kara disentangled themselves and rose from the chair to greet the man who’d just materialized.

Eobard gave a dry chuckle and said, “Dr. Alchemy, I should have known you’d be involved.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to take moment to say my beta DancesWithSeatbelts does a lot more than a beta normally does I mean she gives me starter sentences, writes half the chapters, forms paragraphs, gives me great ideas, even the Chapter Titles she comes up with. I know I haven't given her the credit she deserves so thank you for everything.
> 
> Please leave reviews.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you DancesWithSeatbelts for fixing my mistakes. Please review.


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